Dehradun Update: hunger strikers beaten, still resisting forcefeeding, workers’ protest continuing

Shankar Gopalakrishnan

The struggle of the Rockman and Satyam Auto workers is continuing in Dehradun. The 11 workers who have been on hunger strike since April 4th were transferred to the ICU of Doon Hospital on Thursday evening and then beaten up that night in order to force them to accept IV drips. One was beaten so badly that he began to bleed from his wounds. The workers resisted the IVs and repeatedly have tried to remove them; this battle is continuing. On Friday they registered a complaint against the beatings. The remaining 326 workers are still in the Parade Ground, Dehradun, after repeated rallies, and today another 40 workers were considering joining the hunger strike.

The management continues to ignore the struggle and the protests. The government has made no effort to reinitiate any dialogue. The workers demanded that the SDM tell them why this is happening, he professed ignorance and said he will check with his superiors.

Meanwhile, since practically the entire permanent workforce of both Rockman and Satyam Auto is out on strike, it has been something of a mystery as to how they continue to supply Hero Motors. It is understood that the three managements have reached an agreement whereby Hero has suspended its quality rules and are accepting the inferior parts being made by overworked and new contract workers that have been press-ganged into replacing the strikers. This is of course a betrayal of those who purchase Hero products and could have safety implications.